Less than 2,000 people fly out of Romanian airports as domestic flights resume, minister says

Less than 2,000 people departed from local airports as domestic flights resumed on Monday, May 18, transport minister Lucian Bode told local TV station Digi24.

“Over 95% of the flights were canceled. Last year, the daily average of passengers on all Romanian airports was 65,000. Today, we carried 1,797,” he said.

The minister explained that the first flights departed for Iasi, Cluj, and Timişoara. In contrast, flights to and from countries in red areas, with many coronavirus cases, are suspended for 14 days.

Nonetheless, charter flights for workers are available, he said. “We have charter flights for seasonal workers, and we are aware of the situation of Romanians in Italy, Spain, Germany; there are requests for Tarom, and these flights can be made. But until June 1, we are not flying internationally to these destinations. We are flying to Athens, Oslo, which are not in the red zone,” he explained.

The minister also explained that, during the first day of the state of alert, on May 15, some 140,000 people took the Bucharest subway. Before the coronavirus crisis, 600,000 – 650,000 travelers would use it daily, he said.

“Throughout the state of emergency, the average was of 63,000 travelers. During the state of alert, on May 15, there were 140,000 travelers. We ensured that the 53 subway stations were monitored by 320 security agents, police officers, gendarmes, and local police officers. Because the recommendations were known, things worked out well. No incidents occurred on public transport. Travelers showed responsibility, and we did not have any incidents at the subway. We have the seats marked inside the trains. We have 57 trains, the maximum capacity, and the waiting times are of 8 – 10 minutes,” Bode said.

(Photo: Bucharest Airports Facebook Page)